Favorite films

Recent reviews

• 

  Shrek 2 2004

  ★★★★★ Rewatched 15 Mar 2025

  It’s been a while since I’ve revisited one of my childhood favorites, until now. 

  I’m actually amazed by how well-written the screenplay is, down to the pacing, the dialogue, the characters, the humor, the tropes from fairy tales, plus a lot of elements I initially didn’t pay attention to now that I’ve taken a screenwriting course (such as including barriers and complications to keep the story interesting). And the “Holding Out for a Hero” sequence still stands as one of…

• 

  Anxious. 2024

  Watched 21 Feb 2025

  I don’t wanna talk too much about the film nor my thoughts on the film itself because it’s still on its exhibition circuit at the time of this writing. But it was cool getting to attend a special screening of this at UC Irvine in place of our lecture for production class.

  And the director/writer/lead actress Nida Chowdhry was really nice. There was a Q&A after the screening, and she talked about how she wanted to ultimately make a movie…

Popular reviews

• 

  Dìdi (弟弟) 2024

  Watched 02 Nov 2024

  I feel guilty that I wasn’t able to support this film when it came out in the theater, because this has to be one of my favorite movies this year. Yeah, it could feel conventional in terms of storytelling, and it definitely has the tropes you often find in coming-of-age movies. But it’s been a while since I’ve seen one so relatable and understanding of how trying to fit in isn’t always the best route to go, and maybe the relationships you already have in your life are the ones that truly matter. What a great directorial debut from Sean Wang.